Falls City Brewing Co. announces move to NuLu

Falls City Brewing Co. announces move to NuLu

This building at 901 E. Liberty St. in NuLu will be the home of Falls City Brewing Company. | Courtesy of Falls City Brewing Co.

Falls City Brewing Company will open a new brewery and taphouse in NuLu later this year, featuring a canning line and outdoor beer garden.

The brewery’s owners announced in January that a new facility would open in Portland, but the deal didn’t go through as planned. The new facility at 901 E. Liberty St. is a property owned by the brewing company’s owner, Neace Ventures.

Construction will begin sometime in June, and the brewery is expected to be fully operational by late autumn.

A 30-barrel brewing operation will fill this space. | Courtesy of Falls City Brewing Co.

Ultimately, the facility will house a 30-barrel brewing system and a canning line in a production space that is roughly 4,000 square feet.

A taproom and event space will front the facility, with an outdoor beer garden and parking area adjacent to the taproom and brewhouse.

“It’s a giant space,” says Falls City president Shane Uttich of the beer garden. “It’s like a baseball field.”

The nearly 100-year-old building features plenty of exposed brick and a unique design that is a result of additions over the years. Falls City currently is working with designers on the final designs and layout of the brewery, but general manager Drew Johnson tells Insider the plan is to have 12 to 16 taps in the taproom.

“Enough to showcase what we’re doing and to have guest taps if need be,” he says.

The facility is large enough that other tenants will be recruited, and there is room for the brewery to grow. The project will take place in phases, Uttich says. The goal is simply to offer an enjoyable space for people to gather with friends and enjoy fresh craft beer, he adds.

Pint and growler sales will be the staple, and there is consideration of including basic food service as well.

Falls City Brewing Company was revived in 2010 before being purchased by Neace Ventures. The original Falls City Brewing began in 1905, lasting until 1978.

Falls City currently outsources, or “contract brews,” all of its bottled beers through a brewery in Nashville. Meanwhile, Falls City’s draft-only beers and specialty beers that are released in 22-ounce “bombers” are brewed on a seven-barrel brewing system located in the same space as Old 502 Winery and Over the 9 on South 10th Street. Creation of new recipes also happens on the current local brew system.

The future Falls City taproom | Courtesy of Falls City Brewing Co.

With the construction of the new brewery, all brewing at Falls City will shift to Louisville. When the canning line is operational, Falls City will discontinue six-pack bottle sales and focus on canning.

The only bottle releases from that point on will be the specialty bombers. Johnson also says specialty, limited-edition canned beers will be produced.

“This gives us an opportunity to get weird with the canned releases,” says Johnson.

The Portland location was set to take about a year to construct, but the decision was made to build out the NuLu brewery in waves.

“We’re phasing into the growth,” Uttich says, adding that brewing and canning will begin “soon after we have the ABC permits.”

Kevin Gibson tackles the 3Rs — retail, restaurants, real estate — plus, economic development. He loves bacon, loathes cucumbers and once interviewed Yoko Ono. Check out his books, “Louisville Beer: Derby City History on Draft” and “100 Things to do in Louisville Before You Die.” He has won numerous awards for his work but doesn’t know where most of them are now. In his spare time, he plays in a band called the Uncommon Houseflies.Email Kevin at [email protected]